Scholarship Impact: Samantha Moran

 

As a little girl, Samantha Moran grew up playing doctor by treating her stuffed animal patients with make-believe machines to cure their various ailments. Later in life, she decided that going into medicine was not for her, but her fascination with medical devices and technology remained. This interest led her to pursue an education in mechanical engineering with a biomechanics focus.

 

The William T. Pascoe III Memorial Engineering Scholarship allowed her to attend the College of Engineering at Illinois to study mechanical engineering. “Without the scholarship, I would not have been able to move away from home to pursue my education,” she shared. It also lessens the financial burden on her family, in Corona, California, who will now be able to help send her younger sisters to college in the future.

 

Despite being an engineering major, she has a deep appreciation for the arts and humanities. Her hobbies include playing the flute, reading and writing fiction, baking, and dancing. Samantha also enjoys exploring, whether through travel to other cities or countries, trips to museums, or simply taking a new route to a familiar place.

 

Her scholarship motivates her to pay it forward upon graduation. She plans to help provide the opportunity for more excited young women to explore the wonders of engineering from the amazing, Engineering at Illinois.

 

Samantha is honored to be a recipient of the 2016-2017 William T. Pascoe III Memorial Engineering Scholarship.